or indeed on genetic engineering and biotechnology more generally - could plunge Europe's research community into confusion, scientists and politicians said last week. The warning comes as Britain's politicians are preparing to vote on whether or not embryo research should be banned in Britain.

In July, the West German government said it would introduce a new law to make all such research a criminal offence (This Week, 29 July 1989). Germany's proposed action was recently defended by the country's research minister, Heinz Riesenhuber, who said during a talk at Britain's Royal Society that it was needed to protect 'the dignity of the human individual'.

Sir David Phillips, the chairman of Britain's Advisory board for the Research Councils, said last week at a conference in London on 'Science, Technology and 1992', that countries where such bans exist could lose valuable scientists and investment to other nations that are more liberal in ...

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